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Mario Andretti questioned F1 and the FIA over their 11th team bid, claiming he doesn't know what more his team can do to be granted entry into the sport. The American team recently paired up with General Motors, leading to considerable backlash from other teams.
The Andretti saga continues as the sport refuses to give the 1978 world champion and team entry into the sport in 2026. The team started the new year off with a coalition with American giants General Motors, who hope to enter the single-seater racing class together.
While Andretti faces opposition from the sport and the FIA, he and his team are adamant that they have met every requirement the body mandates. Mario Andretti is unsure of what more he needs to do to get into F1.
Speaking to German outlet AMuS, the F1 aspirant said:
“The FIA has already asked us many very specific questions, and we were able to answer all of them to complete satisfaction. The [FIA] President has everything in writing that is needed for an explanation. When that wasn’t enough, we needed a manufacturer – commitment demanded. We delivered it. What else should we deliver?”
The first time F1 snubbed the Andretti name
Mario Andretti hopes to become F1's latest entrant but has faced decent backlash from other teams regarding his team's potential future in the sport. However, this isn't the first time the sport has snubbed the Andretti name.
The American driver could have made his debut in the sport at the 1986 Canadian GP. The American Haas team (not related to the one on the grid today) needed a replacement following Patrick Tambay's heavy crash during the warmup session.
Mario Andretti's son, Michael Andretti, was the perfect man for the occasion, having won the Formula Super Vee and Formula Mondial series'. The driver was then driving in the highly-esteemed CART series and could easily be the man to replace Tambay in Canada.
However, F1's former governing body, the FISA, denied Andretti a super license, which is needed to enter the sport. While the FIA currently has a points-based system that dictates who will be issued a super license, things were a lot more informal back in the day.
As a result, a less experienced Canadian racer, Allen Berg, replaced Tambay that weekend, leading to heartbreak for Mario Andretti's son.
Michael Andretti had to wait seven more years for a debut with McLaren. By then, the driver had clinched many more CART victories and even managed to win the title in 1991. It is still unclear whether we will see the Andretti name in the sport in 2026.
